Study: URL typos earn Google $497 million per year

Google could be earning some $497 million a year from the registered owners of Web site addresses that mimic typographical errors in existing sites, according to a new study.

Harvard University researchers Tyler Moore and Benjamin Edelman estimate that Google could be making millions from the practice, known as "typosquatting," because its network of display ads--from which it receives a cut of the profits--run on the typo'd sites.

If it's a frequently misspelled site address--for example, zddnet.com instead of yours truly--the tactic could pay off handsomely.